@norman8 Don’t worry, the picture quality of the 720p ones are crappy too.

@norman8 480p is fine for many applications

@medz Not being a smart azz, but what applications would you use 480p for?

@PhysAssist I want to know if my garage door is open or closed.

@PhysAssist watching pets remotely, video baby monitor (high def in night vision makes little difference), security cams in small spaces, check garage is closed.

@medz
Sorry, but watching my pets requires HiDef 4K, 3-D, etc… I don’t have a baby or a garage that could be left open, etc.

But for some lamer person, you have a point, those might be afequate.

Thanks!

MEHRRY X-MEH-AS!!

@einrad Nope. 640x480 (VGA) came out in 1987.

@ColeSloth Pan and tilt. Also the older Foscam cameras will work without an app or internet connection via wired or WiFi LAN. My 4 Wysecams are useless without the app and cloud based server.

@ruouttaurmind Without an app? I think that’s stretching it a bit. What do you launch on your computer to access it? If IE, then you’ll need a plugin for it to work (which is an app that you install inside of IE). Doesn’t work with Safari or Chrome.

@cengland0 Ok, point conceded on a technicality. Required JS and Flash.

But the lack of reliance on cloud services can be hugely appealing. A few months ago I was trying to find a camera system to install for Mom out at the farm. She’s in a very rural location, and since my step dad passed, she’s alone out there. She wanted a camera system for piece of mind. But because she’s in a rural setting, there’s no ‘net. I went through three different NVR systems before I finally found one I could trick into displaying a camera feed on the NVR without being able to phone home to it’s cloud server.

@ruouttaurmind That is so weird. I have eight 1080p cameras, two 720p cameras, and a izon (whatever crappy resolution that is) and only the Izon requires internet access. It’s also the easiest to access away from home. I don’t have to open up ports on the router, do port forwarding, or anything like that. So you take the pros with the cons.

The 1080p cameras is a whole story by itself using Cat 5E with POE and a dedicated NVR so I’m going to skip talking about those.

The 720p cameras only work internally on my network unless I do port forwarding. Then, since I only have one external IP address at home, to connect to two different cameras, I had to have two separate ports open and then redirected to the internal 192.168 address for each camera. PITA because the router will assign random IP addresses to internal devices so I had to set them up with static addresses. I don’t have a static external IP address so it can change periodically. To access my cameras, I have to use a DDNS service to track those changes.

Think my grandma could figure out how to get cameras to work like this?

@cengland0 Most of the traditional NVR systems (CCTV and IP/PoE) will work fine without a cloud component, but installation would have been a nightmare. There are 4 outbuildings, and she wanted at least one camera inside each, plus at least 4 on the perimeter of the house. Wired cameras would have been a logistical terror.

I needed a WiFi system with a single point local collector (PC or NVR) so she can easily monitor alarms triggered by the wireless motion sensors I installed, or by camera motion detection.

All the better WiFi cameras I looked into are heavily reliant on cloud services. From initial setup to viewing live and recorded data, everything goes through the maker’s cloud severs. Arlo, Ring, WyzeCam, Nest, OcO, D-Link… none will function without access to their cloud services.

I finally figured out how to trick the Zmodo NVR system, but even that required I set up the complete system within reach of the cloud, including the router and range extenders, then transport the system to its final destination for installation. I set up the stuff at home, packed it up and flew back to mom’s for the final installation. The NVR is connected to her TV, and I connected a wireless mouse to it so she can easily switch inputs on the TV, then use the mouse to control the NVR.

It’s not elegant, but it’s functional.

@ruouttaurmind At least Foscam wasn’t on your list. I was able to set those up by using an “IP Camera Tool” without ever giving them Internet access.

@cengland0 Full circle to my original reply to @ColeSloth.

@cengland0 Zoneminder is excellent open source software for monitoring these cameras. I use it with about 6-7 different cheapo foscam cameras. No monthly charges except the internet at the remote site.

@caffeineguy I use a paid program called “IP Cam Viewer Pro.” The guy keeps it updated all the time. Only problem is that it doesn’t connect to my LaView NVR so I have to use LaView’s proprietary software and I don’t like that.

If you’re interested in the IP Cam View Pro, here’s the link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rcreations.WebCamViewerPaid

@cengland0 so could the folks storing those Izon images forever in an Amazon instance. Your pictures get used to train automated devices. If you’d like to know how to stop that let me know. We hacked that cam pretty good.

Yes.

@uebergod My cameras are on a non-route-able network, so they don’t have access to the internets. I have a Linux PC on the private network, plus OpenVPN to the other private network at remote site.

@fuzzmanmatt Nice relate- the one webcam I have was sent to me instead of my lanterns- which are still working great, unlike the fuzzy buggy camera…

@canneddirt

@ruouttaurmind You had me at garage door. I have a couple of the 720p, but this is plenty for door open/closed.

@Aramat

@ruouttaurmind Why do so many people leave their garage door open? Doesn’t anyone have neighbors that can close their door?

@caffeineguy Who talks to their neighbors? The best neighbors I have are the ones I never see!

@caffeineguy
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I guess it’s easier in the mornings if you’re distracted getting off to work?

I have the LiftMaster MyQ extension installed on mine. Not only can I open and close it remotely (via smartphone app) but it will automatically close itself after 5 minuets of no motion detected in the garage.

The camera is in the garage for deliveries. When I get a package delivery while away from home, I answer the doorbell via my SkyBell video doorbell and ask the driver to leave the package in the garage. I open the garage door remotely and switch to the garage camera to thank the delivery person (and to ensure they placed the package far enough inside the door will properly close). Once I see the delivery person exit the garage, I close it all back up, watching on the camera to be sure the door closes properly.

I happen to have a 720p Zmodo cam in the garage, but these VGA cameras would be quite suitable for this task.

@ruouttaurmind

@hchavers Well, “new” in many products means they are not individually tested and QC may only be done for every 100 units or so, whereas a “refurb” (especially factory refurb) means that an actual human has thoroughly tested each component to guarantee QC.
That’s how I view it.
Am I wrong?

@hchavers One theory holds that a refurbished unit has had any flaws or bugs worked out of it, thereby making it more reliable than a given random new unit.

@Kerig3

Am I wrong?

Nope, you are not wrong.

@Kerig3 then I should always look for refurbished (aka used) cars instead of new ones. Good to know.

@hchavers You’re right. Let those dumbasses pay a premium for a brand new car that loses thousands in value the second it rolls off the lot. You’re better off buying a two-year old car.

@therealjrn Exceptions: Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Tacoma. Two year old examples aren’t much cheaper than new.

@narfcake But they are cheaper. And are more likely to have the bugs worked out.

@hchavers Apples to oranges comparrison. Electronics are manufactured very differently than automobiles. That said, I would never buy a first-gen model of a car. I did that once and (luckily) my warranty saved me $2000 in repairs my first 2 years of ownership, although much of my personal time was wasted, but corporations don’t care about your time & effort.

@therealjrn Yep, after lessons learned (see comment above) I personally only buy 1-2 year old cars. My last one saved me $10k over new; it was one year old with 17k miles. Still have it 16 years later. I would never buy a new car again!

@SteveOOO Yep! Sold one for $30 on eBay and the other one… is in its box in my basement.

@vlpronj What software are you using there? I use foscam’s app and no-ip on my iPhone. Can’t record though.

@SteveOOO I use BlueIris; it’s not free, but I think it provides commercial level recording and access, for a one time license fee. No cloud access required, but if you’re tech inclined you can set up email notification or even live feed. Handles quite a few cameras, too.

@SteveOOO blueirissoftware.com
The LE version of Blue Iris supports a single camera only; the full version supports multiple cameras (up to 64).
LE version ($29.95) Full version ($59.95)

@vlpronj

/giphy blue iris

@somf69
I said blue IRIS!

@steelopus Not officially, but you can buy a “passive POE” cable, which is a cheap POE-like cable set.

@caffeineguy Thank you. I was mostly wondering if they would accept it as a power source.

@AudioJoad FYI: In the future you can cancel an order in yourself. Go to the Account icon at the top of any Meh.com page and choose Orders. You will see a list of all your orders. Choose the order in question and select Cancel. I think you have like about an hour after the order is placed to cancel.

@Billdworak Happened to me with a previous Foscam purchase here. My mail was supposed to be on hold but got “delivered” anyways. I ended up having to eat the charge, which totally sucks.

@Billdworak How so?
/tableflip

@Billdworak

Have you been in contact with support?

@Thumperchick - Ping

@Billdworak I just checked on this for you. Your refund was issued on 1/2/18.